Continued drinking despite adverse consequences constitutes an alcohol-use disorder. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition, text revision, differentiates abuse from dependence but recent research suggests that they represent one disorder, which the proposed taxonomy for the DSM-5 would consolidate into a single spectrum.At the severe end of the spectrum, chronic, severe dependence is a recurring brain disorder characterized by loss of control over drinking, drinking despite harm, daily or neardaily drinking, a compulsion to drink (“craving”), lerance, withdrawal, and substantial disability.